SPOTLIGHT: Ministry has high hopes for wind turbine

The top of a two-story building in the middle of the city doesn’t seem like the ideal place for an electricity-generating wind turbine, but Rockford Urban Ministries is hoping to defy expectations.

Sean F. Driscoll

The top of a two-story building in the middle of the city doesn’t seem like the ideal place for an electricity-generating wind turbine, but Rockford Urban Ministries is hoping to defy expectations.

The nonprofit group wants to install a turbine, plus a solar power array, on the roof of its building by year’s end. The electricity generated will power the first floor, home to the ministry’s headquarters and its Just Goods fair-trade store.

The turbine is expected to put a dent in the monthly electricity bill, but saving cash isn’t the ultimate goal, building owner Lee Schreiner said.

“This is a new vision of urban renewal,” he said. “There isn’t really anywhere in the Midwest in a smaller community that has a building being run by wind generators. I think we see it as a new vision of how to redo an old neighborhood into new and interesting spaces.”

Although far from the first “green” initiative in the city, the turbine plan is the first of its kind in Rockford. Rockford Urban Ministries’ operation could serve as a test case for other businesses interested in alternative energy, Rockford Urban Ministries Executive Director Stanley Campbell said.

“We thought this project could be not only a way of providing affordable electricity for us, but could be a part of the overall idea of environmental awareness,” he said. “Having an in-city wind turbine that could supply electricity ... would be a way of making a statement that encourages the community to invest in alternative energy sources.”

How it works
The turbine measures 18 feet tall, according to plans submitted to the city for zoning approval. Unlike wind turbines that have blades sticking out like a windmill, this compact turbine has vertical blades.

That allows it to catch wind from any direction, said Leonard Salvig, a Garden Prairie electrical engineer who will oversee the installation of the turbine.

“It’s exciting for an urban setting,” he said. “It’s either this or nothing.”

The turbine needs at least a 5 mph wind to operate. Salvig said the average yearly wind speed in Rockford is a hair under 10 mph.

At that speed, the turbine would generate about 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month, not quite enough to power a house or an apartment.

During particularly windy seasons such as fall and winter, the turbine could generate enough electricity to power the first floor of the building, Salvig said. Any excess electricity will be routed to Commonwealth Edison, and the ministry can buy it back as needed.

“The current thinking is to look at the utility as an energy bank,” Salvig said. “If you have lots of wind and produce more energy than you can use, put it in the bank. On days you have no wind, you can draw it out of your bank. The idea is at the end of the year, you have zero net use of energy, so you put in as much as you take out.”

It costs more to withdraw from the bank than it does to deposit, Salvig said. ComEd pays 3 cents per kilowatt-hours for a deposit of energy, but charges about 10 cents per kilowatt-hours for a withdrawal.

“It’s not a good trade off, but we want to just minimize the amount of electricity used,” he said.

Going green
The city was extremely receptive to the turbine plans, Manager of Current Planning Todd Cagnoni said.

“We wanted to use this as a test case,” he said. “Currently, our zoning ordinance doesn’t allow it (without a special-use permit). We felt the best thing was to move forward with the project, see how it was designed and how it operated as a test case. We hope we can have a positive example of alternative energy.”

Other companies in Rockford have used environmentally friendly practices. Davig’s Cleaners, for example, uses environmentally friendly chemicals. Lantow Lofts, just down the street from Just Goods, added features such as solar-heated hot water with thermal panels on the roof, more efficient water-piping system and more intense insulation methods.

“The idea was frightening to some of our people, both the initial cost and the fact that it’s a first-time effort,” he said. “But the idea that it’s a first-time effort excited some of our members when we thought it might be a good example.”

The first breeze
The idea came in 2005, when Schreiner, who’s also the ministry’s treasurer, attended an energy fair in Chicago.

At that time, he was working on renovating the building for the ministry’s use, and decided to install the electrical framework and roof supports needed for a wind turbine if the project came to fruition.

The ministry will own the turbine and solar array, so it can use its nonprofit status to apply for grant funding, Schreiner said. He leases the first-floor space to the ministry, which runs the Just Goods store.

Schreiner said the installation of the turbine and solar panels could cost as much as $60,000. They’ve already received a $20,000 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, and are preparing to launch a local fundraising campaign.

“The challenge is on now,” he said. “We’ve got the first grants. Now we’ve got to start building on that.”

Campbell thinks the community will respond.

“When people step out in faith, you do get a wonderful return,” he said. “I’m more afraid to not get a response, that people will yawn and saw that’s nice, but I’m not going to help. I haven’t seen that with other projects we’ve done.”

Sean F. Driscoll can be reached at 815-987-1410 or sdriscoll@rrstar.com.